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Back into the BWCA: Canoeing campers return to the wilderness after wildfire closure

Back into the BWCA: Canoeing campers return to the wilderness after wildfire closure

The Forest Service Thursday reopens about 40 percent of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to overnight campers. But some outfitters say more access should be allowed as the wildfire risk wanes.
by Dan Kraker

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Towboats, which are often controversial in the BWCA, praised for their role in fire rescues

Towboats, which are often controversial in the BWCA, praised for their role in fire rescues

Resort owners and outfitters in Ely played a critical role this week in helping evacuate canoeists from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, as they used their motorized towboats to get people and their gear out. But there's long been a controversy over the use of noisy towboats in the quiet and pristine wilderness.
by Dan Kraker and David Schaper

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Reaching a record level, Duluth's hazardous air quality forces many tourists indoors

Reaching a record level, Duluth's hazardous air quality forces many tourists indoors

Smoke from the wildfires burning in northeastern Minnesota and in Canada is creating the worst air quality on record in many cities across Minnesota and the entire Great Lakes region. One of the worst spots has been Duluth, which is in the height of the city's busy tourist season.
by Dana Ferguson

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Boundary Waters closed? These alternatives can deliver a wilderness fix

Boundary Waters closed? These alternatives can deliver a wilderness fix

There’s no perfect substitute to the BWCA. But paddlers and campers can still find peaceful water, star-filled skies and off-the-beaten-path experiences in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Here’s where to look.
by Kirsti Marohn

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‘Sky on fire’: Boundary Waters campers recall tense moments as flames neared

‘Sky on fire’: Boundary Waters campers recall tense moments as flames neared

Paddlers coming out of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Monday shared some of their harrowing moments as they worked to get themselves and their loved ones off the water ahead of the fires closing in.
by Dan Kraker

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Forest Service closing Boundary Waters amid extreme heat, wildfires

Forest Service closing Boundary Waters amid extreme heat, wildfires

The U.S. Forest Service is temporarily closing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as concerns grow over the multiple wildfires burning in northeastern Minnesota and an extremely hot, dry weather forecast into the upcoming week.
by Andrew Krueger and Kirsti Marohn

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Wildfires force Forest Service to close access to parts of Boundary Waters, ban campfires

Wildfires force Forest Service to close access to parts of Boundary Waters, ban campfires

The U.S. Forest Service is closing public access to a large swath of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area northwest of Ely, and the agency has also banned campfires, as several small wildfires burn in the wilderness.
by Dan Kraker

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Isle Royale campground temporarily closed because of ‘increasingly bold’ wolf

Isle Royale campground temporarily closed because of ‘increasingly bold’ wolf

“Over the past week, a wolf has been spotted in the campground, sniffing and pawing at tents, dragging backpacks away from tents, and entering a tent,” officials at the Lake Superior island park said in a news release.
by Andrew Krueger

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